Police: Wife Found Dead, Husband Who Kidnapped Her Wounded
WEST FINLEY TOWNSHIP (KDKA/AP) - A woman who police say was abducted by her husband early Tuesday morning has been found dead.
Her husband had been accused of holding the woman hostage for nearly two weeks last month.
Now, her family is left wondering how the suspect wasn't already in jail.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, 48-year-old Tierne Ewing was abducted from a home on Blockhouse Run Road in West Finley Township around 12:35 a.m. Tuesday.
Officials believed she had been taken at gunpoint by her estranged husband, 47-year-old Kevin Ewing.
They were believed to be traveling in a gray 2016 Hyundai Veloster. Just before 11 a.m., police confirmed that they had found the vehicle near a wooded area along Old Brick Road in Washington Township.
Police then began searching the area on the ground with dogs and by air.
The Washington County district attorney said Pennsylvania State Police received information that the couple was inside a barn around 6:30 p.m.
When police approached the barn, they heard gunshots and backed off. At that point, a SWAT team was called to the scene. After several hours, the SWAT team was able to enter the barn and found Tierne's body. Police say she died "of an apparent gunshot wound." The Washington County coroner hasn't formally ruled on her death.
Kevin was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and was last listed in grave condition.
"What can I say? My daughter's dead and he's sick and the damn judges let him go," Tierne's father, Richard Kopko, said. "Oh, big deal they put a bracelet on him and she's six miles away. Come on, give me a break. There's something wrong with the judging system in this country."
Inside the barn, police also found camping equipment, sleeping bags and a .22-caliber handgun.
In July, Kevin was arrested for allegedly holding his wife hostage, abusing her and threatening her after finding text messages on her phone.
On July 8, Kevin brought Tierne to the Chrome Federal Credit Union in Washington. He remained outside in a pickup truck while she entered the bank to make a transaction.
Once inside, she asked an employee for help. Police were called and took Kevin Ewing into custody. Police found a rifle and a handgun in the vehicle and a knife on Ewing.
Tierne told investigators that Kevin allegedly pistol-whipped her, spit on her, tied her hands, branded her with a metal hot dog stick and locked her in a closet. He also allegedly then took her camping in the woods, where he's accused of putting a gun to her head and threatening her.
He was then released from the Washington County Jail after posting $100,000 bond.
Police say Kevin had a monitoring device, which he apparently cut off on Monday. However, it did not send a signal or alarm back to the device that was monitoring it.
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